The thing with rock’n’roll is that musicians can’t really try too hard to get it out there, it must be evident – from the band’s material and their attitude – that it runs in their blood. It’s like flair, either you have it or you don’t… Pitchfork blessed The Men do "have it" indeed, and this makes them the flagship rock’n’roll band in a scene that lately has expressed mostly breakout bands confined to the pop and electronic realms. These guys took Sonic Youth’s noise-rock lesson, stripped it of overly elaborated parts and experimental guitar tones, and delivered an album that rocks in ways we haven’t heard in a long time. The Men have just announced a West Coast tour including several festivals and a show at NYC’s Webster hall on May 16.

Country singer Rench has been playing his unique mix of honky-tonk and trip hop for years now. From his spot in Brooklyn, you’re equally likely to find him strum a pedal steel as you are to see him looping drum samples and record scratches. But with his band Gangstagrass (who played our UN/OFF party in Austin during SXSW with Reptar and Body Language), he’s something else entirely.
Rench has teamed up with Bronx rapper T.O.N.E-z to come up with a unique blend of bluegrass and hip-hop styles you probably haven’t heard before (unless you’re a fan of the show ‘Justified’ – then you’ve no doubt heard their emmy-nominated theme ‘Long Hard Times to Come’. This is a group that doesn’t bother with distinctions between hip-hop and folk genres; both styles come together with the same attitude that Hank Williams and Chuck D share in common: placing a hard-hitting beat under an outlaw sentiment. While purists may take issue with their disregard of genre distinctions, the open-minded will revel in songs like the hard-hitting ‘Gunslinging Rambler,’ whose new video shows the band rocking out at Southpaw, Brooklyn. All of this should get you plenty excited for their upcoming record due out later this year, ‘Rappalachia,’ (out on June 5th) which promises to be an ode to the kind of mountain music Rench cut his teeth on set over the kind of beats that keep the party moving.
When it comes to mixing these traditions together, there are a lot of bad bartenders out there, but Gangstagrass picks the right ingredients that bring out the best in both of these worlds, showcasing the energy shared in common, and possibly carving out a new genre while they’re at it. – Mike Levine

Mp3: Gangstagrass: "Western"

Lady-led and glamorous Brooklyn troupe, Mother Feather (who placed at #78 in our 2011 Year End Poll for emerging NYC artists), will be flocking to Santos Party House with fellow female-infused groups, dance-party rock duo, Hank and Cupcakes, exotic indie poppers, My Pet Dragon, and electro-quartet Dolchnakov Brigade on Wednesday, March 28. This past fall, Mother Feather let a four-track EP fly, highlighting flight motifs and their spirited, bouncy, charismatic, and danceable sonic personality. Rustle your feathers and migrate downtown to Santos to catch the spunky, invigorating, and visually stimulating line-up starting at 7pm. The show is 18+. – Meijin Bruttomesso – photo by Steven M. Meyer

Seattle-based songwriter Lindsay Fuller may make her home in the Northwest, but her musical roots are firmly planted in the South. On her third album, You, Anniversary, Fuller delivers more of the finely-crafted, soulful harmonies that bely her Alabama upbringing, and build upon her proven skills as a storyteller. Released today, the follow-up to 2010’s The Last Light I See, boasts collaborations with the Indigo Girls‘ Amy Ray, and an organicism that’s at least partially attributable to an adherence to acoustic instrumentation and live-off-the-floor recording. Fuller revisits the theme of mortality, particularly her own, throughout the album – and her signature vocal style, ever melancholic, lends itself well to the motif. Past Patti Smith comparisons gain credence, as her unwavering voice, coupled with an ability to poeticize the commonplace, ground an album that balances blues-based rhythms with a Gothic sensibility. Fuller took to the road, along with Ray, on March 18, and the pair will hit the stage in Seattle this Wednesday night at The Tractor Tavern. The evening will do double duty as an album release party, and Fuller’s latest offerings are sure to keep the sold-out venue rattling long into the night. 

– Kate Shepherd

Keeping in tradition with their previous releases, The Debutante Hour showcases upbeat and fun songs inspired to the roots of American music on their new release “An Awkward Time with The Debutante Hour”. "Doo Wop Girl", (streaming below) is propelled by uptempo hand claps and features the band’s signature imaginative harmonizations, while “M. Bovary” stands out for its raw truth and emotion, portrayed by the simple background melody and the blatant lyrics. There are plenty of other gems including “A Book You’ll Never Read” that brings history, delicate vocals and jolting melodies together in one successful package. The band will be playing their last NYC show until the fall at Union Hall on March 30th. – Christine Cauthen (Photo by shhanalog)